Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-05-14
Letter from Gen. Miles.

|
 tbe secretary of Indian Friends Society
 oy Gen. Miles. The Indians have, since
 tne writing of the letter, been sett to
 Mount Vernon. Alabama:
 Los ANGELES. April IF, 1887.
 NIT. Herbert Welsh, Germantown, Penn.
 DEAR MR. WELSH: Your ve-y kind
 letter of April 3d Is at hand. l am glad
 10 learn from the communication that it
 IS not your purpose to recommend the
 return of the Chiricahua and Warm
 Sprng Indians to Arizona, and under
 stand you sdvIse their being placed on
 some suitable reservation. 1 infer from
 The letter that the impression conveyed
 oy extracts from the Army and Navy
 hegister are erroneous, as "high, dry
 plains West seemed to indicate New
 Mexico and Arizona. The same article
 contained statements alleged to have
 been made by the Indians, which are
 utterly untrue and can be easily dis
 proved, Possibly, however, errors may
 have occurred In theIr interpretation of
 the method by which the statements
 were given to the public. For instance, it IS stated they clam they were pro mised they could go back tO the Apache reservation, whereas they were told dis
 finctly and emphHtically they could Tot
 return there. This was fully understood. In order that there may be DO misun- derstsudlDg regarding my views on the subject, | may as well say my behef that tbe purpose of the gOvrTnme Hi Is 60 send the hostIles that might surrruder to the military authorities at Fort Marion, Florida. but l strongly advised against sending to that place Indians who had been lIvlOg under the su.yei.la. ce Oi toe military Ht Fort Apache, WHO, although Ted and regarded hOminhlly As prisOner- of war. had not been disatmed. The imp sratIye necessity of ih-lr removal out of Arizona was, III my judgment. us necessary for the destruction or cap ture of the hostiles under Geronimo, l lt Wss with this view l obtained per mission to send a delegation Cf Indians l To Washington. ID Oruer that they might 1 see for themselves th6t tue proposed l change involved nc hardship. l reo8m l me1ded that they be allowed tO y.s!t 1 such lsDds as m'ght te Evai able or Ou. l tsinable for them, at lea-i l.OO miles | eHst of their accustomed i-ounta;a l hsunts, rntIl such time Ls in. govern | IT ant was able Co locate tt,u. un some | permanent reservation. I.ey were al- lowed to go tO Washington, but nothing | was accomplished. Ihe Indians in- sisted on returning Co remain .n the mountains of Arizona and ta. drl.ca- tion was ordered buck Al my earnest rsmOnstrance anu solicitations they were stopped en route to the west at Fort LesvenwOrth, Kan. They mlnifested g turbulent and defiant spirit. lu. when they learned If they returned tc Arizona or New Mexico they would be liable Co arrest by the evil authorities for mur- ders committed, they agreed to go tt any place designated till ihe gOvernmsno should provide reservation and ample means for selt-suppOri.
 My intention was tu follow practically l the same plan had found successful on the Moses Indians m Washington terri tory. These arrangements were not con hrmed. and l was informed that lt hsd been decided as a preliminary step" to send them to Florida. AGiutant-Gen- eral Drumm, acting secretary of war, sent an order to send the Indians straight to Florida and tO that place they were sent. I may say ID thIs con- nection that while l anticipated what has occurred, VIZ complaints of sick V behalf on the part Of friends of She h. disns ID the east, realized the impera- tive necessity tO remove them from Ari- ZOns and New Mexico, for as long as they remained there was DO assurance of peace, neither lie Tor property ot set tiers was secure. The very nature of the rugged country encouraged the idea that they would oe secure ID what aUa ettarT ararhf h.e ! camps were hiding places. The foun- of all their hostilties have occurred in the southwestern territories. Debsuched by the use of fiery mescal and "tiswin" the- murder through q spirit of reckless adventure.
 Some of the Indians now in Florida were not on the warpsth last year. Some had been used ss scouts; but it is like wise true that nearly every one Of them was engaged at one time or another in | murder and pillsge. One apparently O; he best of the. Warm Spring chiefs mis- led party of soldiers at tune when the l 2 fugitive hOstiles were almost within Cus [ grasp. l only mention these points Co $ show the necessity of rem wal. and ] protest. on behalf ot the deso- lated homes of pioneers, mIae;s and set [ tiers ip that isolated and unprotected ( region. ths. not one Of the Iuiians be [ sent back to Arizona or New Mexico ! [ Surely, our citizens are DO less de-ery- [ ing of the consideration and kindly t due the Indians, to say noth- s ing of that regard which should given ,O the military, whose srduOus duty it l has been for years 10 insure peace and l am grRiItied the govern , nent is considering the proposition to 'end them to some more suitable place, ] IL the government gives them some leRlthful place Of abode east of the Mis- Iouri river, and reirsIns from turning hem over to the civil authorities of 1. New Mexico or Arizona. In justice to , he Indians, I have felt it my duty to 1. write thus generally io you on the sub ! ect. spprecisting Es I do. the interest 'ou have manifested in the matter. {,
 NELSON A. MILES,
 BrigCdier General U. S. \. C